Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: Colorado House

Colorado Voters Prepare for Sweeping Legislative Changes in 2026 Elections
No Comments
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Voters Prepare for Sweeping Legislative Changes in 2026 Elections

By: Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics This year’s general election will feature an unusually high number of state Senate races — 21 seats, the most in at least three decades. The surge stems from the number of new senators appointed to fill vacancies during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions, which triggered additional seats to go before voters. That group of 21 includes six senators who are term-limited, running for other offices, or simply choosing not to return. Fifteen House members, meanwhile, will not return next term — they are either term‑limited, running for another office, or choosing not to seek reelection. Here’s a look at the lawmakers who are wrapping up their service in the General Assembly. Open Senate seats The 2026 elec...
Read More
Colorado House Pushes Through $46.8 Billion Budget After Contentious Debate
No Comments
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado House Pushes Through $46.8 Billion Budget After Contentious Debate

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics The House on Saturday, after four days of work – it usually takes two – finished up their work and voted on the $46.8 billion 2026-27 state budget, as contained in House Bill 1410 and 64 accompanying measures designed to help balance the budget. The delay in getting to the finish line was caused by Rep. Brandi Bradley, R-Roxborough Park, who asked for the 661-page budget bill to be read at length, a computer-operated process expected to take up to 15 hours. That was on Wednesday, the first day the full House worked on the budget. The reading was laid over until late Thursday by House Majority Leader Rep. Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge. The reading didn’t start until after 6:30 p.m., to allow the House to finish wor...
Read More
“Apologize to the Constitution”: House rejects amendment on 3D gun bill
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

“Apologize to the Constitution”: House rejects amendment on 3D gun bill

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The debate over 3D-printed firearms took an unexpected turn Friday when Rep. Scott Bottoms stepped forward with a constitutional warning. House Bill 26-1144 would ban the 3D printing of firearms and certain gun parts. Bottoms said if it violates the Constitution, it should fall. His amendment would have required the entire measure to rise or fall as one. The amendment failed after a standing division vote. “I would like to apologize to the Constitution for what we just did to it,” Bottoms said. The vote marked the most dramatic moment in a lengthy second reading debate over a bill that would make it illegal to 3D print firearms and certain gun parts, and restrict the sharing of digital files used to produce th...
Read More
Why J. Paul Brown Supports Naomi Riess for House District 59
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Why J. Paul Brown Supports Naomi Riess for House District 59

By J. Paul Brown | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice As a lifelong farmer and rancher in Southwest Colorado and someone who has proudly served as the representative for House District 59, I know the importance of strong, principled leadership for our communities. We are in dire need of someone who has always stood by agriculture and our rural way of life.  I have known Naomi Riess for many years, and I can say with confidence that she is exactly the kind of leader we need. I personally witnessed her dedication when she helped the La Plata County Farm Bureau resolve challenges that some of our members were facing with the State Land Board regarding state land leases. Her knowledge, persistence and genuine care for the people she serves made a real difference. ...
Read More
Colorado House Immigration Resolution Reveals Tension Over Sanctuary Policies and Taxpayer Burdens
No Comments
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado House Immigration Resolution Reveals Tension Over Sanctuary Policies and Taxpayer Burdens

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics A joint resolution affirming lawmakers’ “commitment to Coloradans navigating the complex United States immigration system” sparked more than three hours of debate on the House Floor on Tuesday morning, reflecting the tension rising between Colorado and the Trump administration, which has traded barbs and lawsuits, underpinned by the former’s campaign to crackdown on illegal immigration and the latter’s “sanctuary” policies. At the outset, Colorado’s Democratic officials have signaled a confrontational stance vis-a-vis the Trump administration — the attorney general last month announced the launch of an online “tool” for Coloradans to report misconduct by federal agents, while the city of Denver is considering barring the wearing o...
Read More
Colorado Democrats Move Quickly Toward Greater State Oversight In First 20 Bills
No Comments
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Move Quickly Toward Greater State Oversight In First 20 Bills

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics Lawmakers from Colorado’s House of Representatives have introduced their first 20 bills of the session, which are often their top priorities for the year. In 2026, priorities include labor unions, increased affordable housing, and consumer protections. The very first bill read across the House desk, House Bill 1001, was introduced by sponsors last month during a press conference with Gov. Jared Polis. The bill, which sponsors are calling the HOME ACT, would allow schools, nonprofit organizations, and transit centers to use underutilized land to build affordable housing. “Colorado lacks over 100,000 homes, and we need creative solutions to address this housing shortage,” said sponsor Speaker Pro Tempore Andy Boesenecker...
Read More
How Colorado laws are really made: What Rep. Matt Soper says voters rarely see
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

How Colorado laws are really made: What Rep. Matt Soper says voters rarely see

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice The Colorado legislature is about to gavel in for another 120-day sprint, and with it comes a flood of bills most Coloradans will never see until the consequences land.  What many don’t see is how quickly ideas move, who pushes them forward—and why outcomes can feel disconnected from public input. Few lawmakers are positioned to explain that gap as clearly as Matt Soper, now the longest-serving Republican in the House and widely regarded inside the building as the caucus “dean.” With term limits constantly churning the legislature, Soper has watched the same policy ideas cycle through multiple sessions, often repackaged and moving faster each time. “There’s the textbook version of how a bill becomes a law that everyone...
Read More
House opens 75th session with Rep. DeGraaf questioning, if passwords were leaked can election be certified?
No Comments
Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

House opens 75th session with Rep. DeGraaf questioning, if passwords were leaked can election be certified?

By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice It did not take long for the opening of the 75th General Assembly to reach a hiccup Wednesday. Republican Rep. Ken DeGraaf objected to the Colorado House credentials committee report, typically a first order of business when opening the legislature, based upon concerns related to Secretary of State Jena Griswold's office leaking election system passwords. The credentials report is presented to the whole of the House and voted on to start the process of seating representatives. DeGraaf was critical of a system Griswold has self-described as the "gold standard". He rose to state the objection to the credentials report. "This [the password leak publicly] lasted a full four months," DeGraaf said. "This is the keys to the kingdom." His fu...
Read More

FD863768-0ACF-495E-9D21-2EF784DFFA6B[1]

Join us at RMV's Freedom Festival

Click Here for Tickets!

This will close in 0 seconds